“Go it!” cried Ephraim. “I don’t wonder yeou feel like runnin’! By gum! if I was yeou, I’d feel like findin’ a hole somewhere and crawlin’ inter it. Them fellers came up here to lick Frank Merriwell in his room,” he explained, as Sargent hastened after his chum. “Gosh all hemlock! They couldn’t ’a’ done it if they’d bin ten of ’um, ’stead of two.”
The proprietor came up, and Merriwell apologized for the disturbance. Havener, however, was forced to pacify the man, which he finally succeeded in doing, with the assistance of Hawkins, who had found the soft side of the hotel keeper at an early date.
“Why haven’t you been down to supper, Merriwell?” asked the stage-manager.
“No time,” answered Merry, shortly. “Studying. I won’t eat till after the show.”
“Can’t get anything in this hotel at that hour.”
“Then I’ll patronize a lunch cart. Can’t spend time to eat. Those fellows cut me out of fifteen minutes. Send somebody to tell me when it’s necessary for me to go to the theater.”
“All right,” promised Havener, as he hustled everybody out of the room. “I don’t think you’ll be disturbed again.”
Closing the door, Frank picked up the manuscript and went on studying as if nothing had happened. In a moment he dismissed the encounter from his mind and gave his entire attention to the lines he was learning.
Frank continued to study till Hans came to tell him that the band was going to play before the theater, and the company was going over to make up.
Frank found Havener waiting in the office of the hotel.